Vick makes it clear no one guided him toward Birds

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PITTSBURGH -- It was his decision. Not Roger Goodells, not Andy Reids, not Jeff Luries.

His alone.

Michael Vick said late Thursday night that NFL Commissioner Goodell did not push him to sign with the Eagles, contrary to what was indicated in a cover story in the September issue of GQ Magazine, which went online earlier Thursday.

Vick released a statement saying as much on Thursday afternoon, but after the Eagles-Steelers preseason game at Heinz Field, he went into much greater detail on how and why he picked the Eagles.

Asked whether Goodell had anything to do with his choice, Vick said:

No, absolutely not. The decision came down to me and my agent. Mostly me, but my agent gave me the best advice possible. The commissioner had no say in what happened. He just gave me the opportunity to come back, which I was thankful for. After that, I think its primarily up to you and your agent to make the decision. I hate that it got misconstrued that way. Like I said, it was my decision at the end of the day, and I chose to come here.

I didnt solely want it to seem like the commissioner pushed me to make a decision. That was not the issue. I had four or five people around me that helped consult in making my decision, but ultimately it came down to me. Thats why I wanted to clear that up. I never said that in three years. That wasnt the case. It was totally up to me. After talking to Andy, thats why the decision was made for me to come here.

Vick, now in his third year with the Eagles, said in the GQ piece that when he first got out of prison in the summer 2009 after his federal dogfighting conviction and was applying for reinstatement, he wanted to go somewhere and start. He identified Cincinnati and Buffalo as two possible destinations.

He clarified Thursday night that once he made the decision to sign with Philly, he never regretted it.

It was a lot of moving parts that had to take place, he said. As a competitor, you want to play. Of course, Cincinnati and Buffalo were on the table at the time, and I really had to evaluate my situation and how my body felt, and had to take some things into consideration, and also had to convince them to let me come here. That was after I made the decision to come here, in negotiations with my agent and with the Eagles.

Once the decision was made, thats when everything worked out. I wanted to be here, I wanted to be with Andy. I knew that I was going to have to sit, and that it was going to pay great dividends for me. I considered (going elsewhere) at the time, but that goes to show how much I know because things have worked out. Im glad to be an Eagle and I hope to be here for a long time.

Vick was asked at exactly what point he realized he was better off starting out after a two-year absence from football as a backup and not a starter.

He recalled an Eagles-Jets preseason game on Sept. 3, 2009, at the Linchis first appearance on a football field since the end of the 2006 season, when he was with the Falcons.

I tried to take off running and fell flat on my face because I had no legs under me, he said. That right there showed me that I wasnt ready to play an entire season (with) the pressures that came along with it, as far as your body and your physical condition and endurance that you need.

After that game, I was just happy that I had the opportunity to sit back and watch the game for a year and be a rookie again.

Vick said he understands that with great expectations comes great scrutiny. The fallout from the GQ story proved that.

That comes along with the territory, he said. But we accept that challenge. Its not going to be easy. Each and every Sunday, its not going to be easy. This is a tough game, and every week youve got to bring your A-game, and if you dont youre going to be embarrassed.

E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com.

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